In the room, Miss Jun sat before a table.
She had just finished reading through the books on the bookshelves, though as expected, she was unable to find what she was looking for.
Master's medical books were not something the general world could see.
That is to say, there still were things she hadn't finished doing, like tidying up Master's medical books. All in all, it was pretty good that she was able to continue to live, so at least she would not have to rely on Master's support.
Liu'er yawned as she looked at the acupuncture needles in Miss Jun's hands.
"Young Miss, what are you playing?" she asked.
Since this morning Young Miss had been truly having a lot of fun. Liu'er was very tired.
"This is not play," said Miss Jun, twirling an acupuncture needle in her hands. She turned to watch the sunlight streaming through the window. Standing in the courtyard was Lady Fang, who was feeling a bit dizzy.
But it wasn't the acupuncture needles that made her feel light-headed.
She had done many things before-investing great care, time and fairness-so that she could get this girl out of the Fang Family, but just one sentence from her destroyed all that.
Lady Fang felt that everything she had done was like a giant bubble. It looked amazing, but it couldn't withstand a single blow from that girl's needles.
Lady Fang inhaled deeply. This was all very ridiculous. Just as Old Lady Fang had said, this must be just a coincidence, some ravings that this girl said randomly. She should immediately forget all about this and continue with her work.
But she couldn't step away.
"Lady."
Liu'er's voice came from inside. Lady Fang looked at the servant girl's deformed face through the window's glass, and then the window was pushed open.
"Lady, what are you doing here?"
The servant girl did not welcome her as before, but instead spoke with displeasure, like she was being bothered.
Miss Jun also looked Lady's way. She was neither surprised nor displeased about her arrival. She set down the needles and stood up.
"Aunt," she greeted cordially, then straightened up. She looked at her with impassive, large eyes.
Those eyes seemed like they were questioning her.
Lady Fang immediately felt like this scenario was familiar.
When she had learned of her husband's passing, her son's incurable affliction, she did not wish to wake up every morning. When she thought of getting up and facing the world, all she wanted was to die bitterly.
But at that time, there was a voice at the bottom of her heart saying, "Wake up and see whether or not all you can do is die." She had forced herself to open her eyes and had lived up until today.
Right now, it was exactly the same. She wanted to ask this girl some questions, but she was a bit hesitant to speak.
But rather than facing such suffering, she should just ask her plainly whether it was real or fake. She did not need to complicate this.
The servant girl at the entryway obtained Miss Jun's permission to pull back the curtains. Lady Fang strode in without the slightest hesitation.
"Zhenzhen, did you see Chengyu yesterday?" she asked, opening the door to see the mountain [1].
Liu'er's lips curled.
"So the cripple ran back crying to complain," she muttered.
Lady Fang had never bothered with servants; all it would do was lower her status.
Whatever was wrong with the servant would be born by the owner.
"Yes," said Miss Jun. "Aunt, did you want to inquire about the particulars?"
Lady Fang made an en sound, and Miss Jun turned her head to instruct the servant girls.
"You leave first," she said.
When she said that, the people were slightly shocked.
For Miss Jun to take the initiative to speak this extra sentence, did she want the uninvolved people to leave them alone so they could discuss secrets?
Did this girl have such intentions? Or was Lady thinking too much?
"Go and make a pot of tea," said Miss Jun to Liu'er. She paused for a moment. "Watch the people outside and make sure that they do not eavesdrop on what I'm about to say."
Liu'er, who had been saddened by being chased out, immediately nodded her head enthusiastically and solemnly. This was an important task that Young Miss had entrusted to her; those servants from the Fang Family could not be relied on. She would definitely guard the door and prevent anyone from getting close.
Seeing Liu'er leave enthusiastically, Lady Fang's expression was complicated as she pursed her lips, but did not say anything.
The only ones left in the room were Miss Jun and Lady Fang.
"Please sit, Aunt," said Miss Jun.
Lady Fang sat, and Miss Jun sat across from her. She took the position of someone listening diligently to their senior.
Lady Fang did not know what to say. She and Miss Jun had not spent much time alone in each other's company. She couldn't remember if Miss Jun was always this docile.
"Zhenzhen, I heard someone say that you could cure Chengyu's poison?" she asked, while looking at Miss Jun. "What is the meaning of this?"
Miss Jun chuckled.
"I had not scrutinized Little Cousin before. I discovered an anomaly, but because I wasn't very certain I wanted to think over it first. That's why I didn't have time to go speak to Aunt and Grandmother about this," she said.
Lady Fang's heart beat wildly.
So, she was saying that it wasn't because she was talking nonsense that she hadn't come to find them, but because she hadn't thought it over.
"You, what did you mean? What did you mean by poisoned?" She gripped her kneecaps tightly.
"Aunt, are you not clear on Little Cousin's present condition?" asked Miss Jun, her expression level as she looked at Lady Fang. "Could it be that you fed him this poison yourself?"
She!
Lady Fang felt like she was seeing the acupuncture needles, piercing through her heart, again.
She had thought that she would gently make her intentions clear, or carefully lead her inquiries. In other words, she hadn't wanted to expose how much weight she put on this matter. But with just two sentences, everything she had planned was destroyed.
This last sentence was even more terrifying than the one mentioning poison, to the extent that Lady Fang couldn't even say what she had wanted to. She violently stood up and charged out.
She almost bumped into Liu'er who was standing outside.
"What are you doing?" she yelled.
Lady Fang naturally would not care about where she was staggering along till she got out the gates. The voices of servants, which had been dismissed into the other courtyards, echoed behind her.
Lady had just gone in, while they had been waiting outside in the garden. So why did Lady suddenly charge out, and with such a heartbroken expression?
They hadn't heard Miss Jun crying or yelling.
Then what was going on? They followed after Lady Fang in a disarray.
Liu'er ran into the room.
"Young Miss, what did you say to scare Lady into running?" she asked curiously and with satisfaction. "Young Miss, you are too amazing. You were able to do such a thing so easily. That will teach her not to make a fuss in front of us again."
Miss Jun had not thought that Lady Fang would be this shaken.
"I might have spoken too ferociously. I should've brought it out more slowly," she said, shaking her head with helplessness. "It's just a pity that there's not much time to waste."
"Didn't I say that you shouldn't think too much? Why did you go over there to talk to her?"
Old Lady Fang spoke forcefully, looking at Lady Fang weeping on her knees in front of her.
Lady Fang hadn't wept like this for many years, only when her son passed away and her grandson had been diagnosed as incurable.
{Jun Zhenzhen, dying once must have given you great skill,} thought Old Lady Fang vehemently.
"Mother," Lady Fang grabbed her hand, sobbing without sound. "She knows, she knows that I harmed Chengyu. She knows that the poison was something I fed Chengyu."
Old Lady Fang's hand that was being gripped became stiff.
So the talk of poison was not just just a baseless story after all.
Then who told her? What were the intentions of the person who told her?
Old Lady Fang's expression momentarily became penetrating. She stood up and looked at Lady Fang, gripping her hand.
"Child, you did not harm Chengyu. We were all victims," she said, pulling Lady up. "Do not cry; it is useless. We will go and ask her what she thinks she's doing."
[1] opening the door to see the mountain: cutting straight to the point